valentine's day Remember This Table?

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Brooke Giannetti had the giveaway of the year on her beautiful blog Velvet and Linen back in November. You may remember that I had entered with my office space in hopes of winning one of the three tables in the giveaway. Alas, I did not win....but the winners did a great job with the tables in their own spaces. It was very fun to see the results! (In case you missed it, click HERE.)

But the blogosphere is a wonderful place. When one computer window closes, another opens. Because of the blog post I did about the giveaway, I was happily reintroduced to an old friend I had lost touch with. Mike Whisten, a talented custom furniture maker and "imagineer", contacted me and we discussed a potential collaboration to make a table for my office. Mike was so inspired by the post, he began a project of his own. Mike recreated his own version of the metal frame table but instead of reclaimed lumber, he used reclaimed sales signs from a Loft project in Sacramento.

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As you can see, his version is quite contemporary, and I love his spin on what constitutes a reuse of discarded materials. I think this table would be great in a loft, a beach house, or any eclectic setting that combines one-of-a-kind furniture peices. This is the kind of peice that makes a home unique. And that is what makes Mike special. He can work with anyone to create a peice of furniture that is perfect for them in size, material and function. Best of all, the prices are RIGHT!!! (This table is listed at $600 on Mike's website!)

I hope you have a chance to check out Mike's company website, 12M Design.

Give him a call and see what you can conjure up.

Meanwhile, Mike and I are talking about my Office table.

valentine's day Staying Neutral: the Maison 21 Challenge

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You may remember awhile back, the very talented and stylish Christian of Maison 21 blog created a room around this lovely piece of glass....... valentine's day

.......and challenged any and all comers to do the same. And did we! You may remember this blog post.

Well...get ready, because Christian has laid down the gauntlet again. He has challenged all bloggers, and anyone else who feels up to it, to create a room of Neutrals using items from his atelier here and/or from his post here. Never one to shy away from such a challenge, I have taken him up on it. I chose the Teak Root Console from Christian's post because of it's beautiful amorphic shape. I thought a pair would be gorgeous as Bedside Tables....so I decided a chic and tailored bedroom for a bachelor would be "it". valentine's day

Next I found these beauties....a pair of brass pharmacy lamps...on Christian's atelier link here to put on the consoles.

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So I needed a bed. At first was looking for an upholstered headboard....but then I remembered this bed from Ralph Lauren, perfect:

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I happened upon this Black and White Steam Ship photo on 1st dibs and thought it would be perfect above the bed blown up to about 4 ft. wide x 5 feet high:

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With these elements , a sort of "theme" or vision began to take shape in my imagination: a nod to the rich mahogany paneled state rooms of the yachts of the 1920's. Wood, brass, a bit art deco, new industrial age feel. So...add the wood paneling to the walls, but I would use Walnut. They are neutral aren't they? And wood floors.

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I loved Christian's idea of the blond cowhide on the floor . Why not a few overlapped? valentine's day

Something for the wall across from the foot of the bed: This Vicente Wolf console table is sleek and tailored. The brass picks up on the brass lamps as well. I think a third section to make it wider would be what I would do.

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Above this low console, I thought something monumental was needed. A large Black and White photo perhaps? I relied on the the beautiful and dreamlike work of James Bleecker. His photos of the High Line are stunning:

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Flanked by these Fontana Arte sconces by Pietro Chiesa.........through first dibs. OK.....outrageously out of sight price-wise....but this is a fantasy, no? They had to be in the room: valentine's day

There should be a sitting area in front of the windows. I chose this pair of Gio Ponti Arm Chairs:

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I found this table in 1st dibs also. (Sigh....1st dibs, you make it so easy to find things to dream about. I went back to link this table to the post and now I can't find it...sigh.) Perfect between the wing back chairs:

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All of which to put in front of these dark grey velvet drapes from Restoration Hardware. This beautiful gun metal grey is technically a "neutral" as well, but provides great depth:

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It just so happens that the brass hardware works as well!

Perhaps there would be a spot for these mirrors from Ballard Design. Or maybe this is the shape of the windows....it is my fantasy after all.

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And there should be something quirky like this from Bond and Bowery:

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A bit off of the color palette and out of sync. These are too large, but you get the idea.

So, there you have it! My Gentleman's Bedroom.

For those of you who want to play, hop on over to Christian's Maison 21 blog to see who else has designed a room and to see the "rules".

Thanks Christian! (I could just see Mona and Richard curled up on the bed. They are the perfect colors!)

valentine's day Restoration Hardware: baby & child

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I don't know if you all noticed that Brocade Home, a subsidiary of Restoration Hardware, is no longer taking orders. Perhaps it is because of the launch of this site: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

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I was looking for a Dining Table and noticed the new logo at the top of RH's website, so decided to check it out. There are quite a few nice things here (like the sweet personalized crown piece above).

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The furniture, I would suspect, is the same high quality you would expect from the parent site. This four poster is a really timeless design I think. And the bedding hosts a hive of little bees fit for a little Josephine.

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The lamps are great looking and quite a good price. This gourd lamp is $119, plus the shade at $25.

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Cute lamp reminiscent of Jaime Young. Painted ceramic, comes in a bunch of colors (as does the gourd lamp), and different shade choices. $69! Plus a shade at $25. This is not a tiny little lamp either. It stands 22" high. (Sometimes with a price like this I double check the size to make sure it is not a mini lamp.)

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And there are area rugs and window coverings as well. I thought this woven rug (comes in other colors also) was very nice!

I was very impressed overall. Restoration Hardware has great things that blend in with many different decors, so I was very pleased to discover this site. Hope you will be too. Worth a visit for sure.

valentine's day Design Crush: Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

I promise I am not stalking you. But when I see another of your projects, I fall in love all over again. And you thought you could hide from me in the latest Veranda. Who would have thought to find you here? When I saw the cover, I thought: this is no ordinary Veranda. This is not the tailored and refined Country French I have been accustomed to. This is something altogether different.

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I went to see who it was that could be gracing this beautiful and edgy cover. The white upholstered sofas and daybeds (Room and Board), the ebonized floors, the black tiled fireplace surround...I thought I had found a new crush.

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But then..... I knew it was you as soon as I saw the white sheers and your custom designed light fixture (ABYU Lighting) in the foyer. Yes...you had me at "Hello". Only you could have piqued my interest with the Country Swedish chair with the seat in Sacco Carpet goat hair!

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One of the things I love about you is the way you mix up the high and the low. Like in this Dining Room: putting a Larsen Velvet on a Crate and Barrel chair. It makes my heart smile, like wildflowers in a silver vase. Zimmer + Rohde fabric used as wall art, it's wonderful.

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They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well men aren't the only ones who love the culinary arts. And to find a kitchen at the other end of the Living Room, well that's just magic. And then you go and make it look like this! That curtain of beads by BallChain around the stovehood, the Plexi-Craft barstools.... sigh.

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I could lounge here for hours on this banquette by the window. Long relaxing dinners with family and friends. Maybe a little Jamie Cullum playing in the back round. You did this on purpose, I know it. (Chairs through Room and Board).

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Then you got really glamorous, but I could expect no less. In the Master Bedroom, you went for the Swarovski crystals on the custom shade and Ostrich Pillow on the bed, both by ABYU. Jean Harlow would be right at home. So could I.

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And there it was.... just what I'd hoped for. One of your iconic feather lampshades (ABYU) hiding in the guest room, perfectly juxtaposed with the Man Ray photographs.

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What I love about you is that you inspire me. I can watch you make magic using sources available to everyone, like this bed by Room and Board, the Restoration Hardware Lamps, and the mirrors by Crate and Barrel.

I promise, I am not stalking you........yet......

All photos by Antoine Bootz for Veranda, May-June 2008